I am writing you folks from the Republic of Panama! I love the comradeship you folks desplay for each other in your part of the World! My dad was from Ravenna Nebraska came down here in the Army in 1947. Married a local woman of the Chiari family. He was a fly fisherman. I remember one day he was flat broke and on the coast of Colon caught a big fish he sold to a local chinese store for 20 dollas, I was only 6 years old. Unfortunately the agro chemicals have been killing most of our catchable river fish, including the trout in the Volcan, Cerro Punta area of Panama. Its hardly not worth putting up with the sandflies any more. Do you folks have a SANDFLY problem while you fish in Pynsylvania? We have them here all over the beach and river areas.I work a lot with medicinal herbs and know of ways to repel them and eliminate their intense itch and allergy.

Some years back while in the mountains of El Valle de Anton saw a young campesino pick a red wild barry and attach it to a small hook and threw it in the river, before you know it he had fished a sardine that grows to about 7 inches long. In these rivers arround this volcanic crater where I live you can find crayfish that are stripped like the colors of a tiger and also a small blue one, these could be reproduced in captivity to again be released in rivers as they are scarce and probably going extinct. They are likely new unknown species.

Is it possible for members of your orgnization to come down here and give fly fishing seminars to locals so that they begin to value their river fish resources . Maybe you folks could help get the Panamanian government interested in fish conservation? I would say about 90 percent of the river fishing has died out due to the imported chemicals especially now that agricultural people are being taught to use agent orange kind of chemicals. Most foreigners coming here are not aware that more than 50 percent of the food they eat is grown on land where the weeds are killed with chemicals and food planted on top within 30 days! Used to be that I could drink the creek and river waters arround El Valle de Anton, Panama 20 years ago but not any more.

Should any of you ever come this way and want to try out what little river fishing is left, let me know, I can be your guide as I have lived in more than 25 rural communities while investigating the medicinal plants of Panama.

Thanks for allowing me on your forum and do look forward to learning about fly fishing and being as good as my dad once was at it. Sincerely yours Franklin Gruber Chiari---botanicogruber@hotmail.com

Franklin, welcome to the board. Your perspective on industrial interaction with the natural environment is very interesting. It sounds like Panama is going through what the USA has been through and continually faces-- a tension between using natural resources for industrial development at the expense of their health and the health of the creatures, including man, who depend upon them. Hopefully, your country manages to curb the degradation before the damage becomes irreparable.

I am certain if your country wishes to send a delegation of fly fishing Ambassadors to Pennsylvania, many of us will take you for some fly fishing outings you won't long forget.

Oh, and the only sandfly I know runs a fly shop in or around Galeton, PA.

Posted on: 2010/6/17 21:13

_________________The doctrine of free will is the invention of the ruling class.